A 16-YEAR-OLD girl died after taking MDMA with pals who didn’t call an ambulance for TWO HOURS because they “didn’t want to get in trouble”.
Lauren Hawkins – a gifted singer and dancer – overdosed in front of her friends and boyfriend after taking the Class A drug at a park in Wimborne, Dorset, in July 2020.
She took the drug at 8:45pm and within two minutes her “eyes rolled back” and she “freaked out”, her boyfriend Cameron Doughty – then aged 16 – told an inquest into her death.
An ambulance wasn’t called until 10.36pm because the group “didn’t want to get into trouble”.
The 16-year-old went into cardiac arrest and paramedics rushed her to hospital.
Lauren’s heart stopped for 11 minutes and – although paramedics resuscitated her – she never regained consciousness.
She suffered from severe and irreversible brain damage and three days later.
A post mortem examination found a lethal dose of MDMA in Lauren’s blood.
Lauren’s grandfather Paul Pearson said that using the drug was like playing “Russian roulette” which robbed her of a future.
Lauren – from Bearwood, Dorset – had been a member of the prestigious West End Kids musical theatre troupe and had appeared on stage at Bestival and events at Hyde Park.
Mr Pearson tearfully told the Bournemouth inquest: “Our hearts are broken by this tragedy. We have been devastated and traumatised.
“Lauren was a very talented young lady and a brilliant dancer and singer.
“When she sang she was brilliant. She could have been the next Adele if it had all gone smoothly.
“She had the whole world at her feet. Now me miss all her tomorrows and there is a hole in our lives.”
The inquest heard that Lauren had previously taken MDMA once before in October 2019 but reacted badly and vowed to her mother Rebecca Pearson that she would never do it again.
But on July 6, 2020, her boyfriend Cameron got two psychoactive pills called 2C-B which he and Lauren consumed at a barbecue with friends.
In a text to a friend read out at the hearing, he said: “We’re going to get f****d tonight.”
Cameron, now 18, said they later took MDMA because the other drug did not work.
He said: “She had done MDMA and 2CB with me before. It hit her within two minutes. In the back of my head I could see she wasn’t ok.
“Her eyes rolled. It wasn’t like last time. She freaked out a bit and when she calmed down her jaw was going.
“Her whole body was shaking like she was having a seizure. She was just making these noises and I was holding her and trying to comfort her.
“My mate did CPR then I took over. We put her in a recovery position. I tried to pick her up and I was just holding her knowing she wasn’t alive anymore so I said to call an ambulance.”
When asked by Lauren’s grandfather why he didn’t call her family for help, he said: “I thought about it but I didn’t because I was worried about getting in a lot of trouble.”
He said he believed they took the drug at around 8.45pm – but the group waited for almost two hours before calling an ambulance at 10.36pm after Lauren had collapsed.
She died on July 9, 2020.
Rachael Griffin, senior coroner for Dorset, concluded that Lauren’s death was drug-related.
She said: “I am satisfied that Lauren knew what she was doing that day.
“From the evidence I believe she took 2C-B although it wasn’t found in her system. Later that day she took MDMA.
“That is something she took of her own volition.
“Lauren was a vibrant healthy young lady who had a great future ahead of her.
“I hope that if any good can come from her death it is to warn others of the dangers of the use of these drugs.
“People use these drugs for excitement without understanding the potential fatal consequences of using them and the consequences not only on themselves but on their families.”
Detective Inspector Mark Fursman, of Dorset police, told the hearing a youth, who who can’t be named for legal reasons, has been charged with being concerned in the supply of class A drugs.
